3 Socorro officers released, city building searched

Trio's bonds lowered

Mark Lambie/El Paso Times
Sheriff's Detectives and members of the Crime Scene Unit carry one small box from Socorro City Hall following a three hour search of the building Thursday. (Mark Lambie/El Paso Times)

Two top commanders of the Socorro Police Department and a detective arrested on Tuesday were released from jail Thursday evening after a magistrate reduced their bonds.

Also Thursday, El Paso County Sheriff's Office detectives served a grand-jury subpoena at the Socorro Administrative Building. Officials did not say whether the subpoena was connected to the arrests of the officers and a police dispatcher.

Lt. Jose Alvarez, Sgt. Refugio Orta and Javier Varela were arrested by the Texas Rangers on charges of official oppression. Varela faces charges of aggravated perjury and tampering with governmental records. At the time, their bonds were set at $250,000 each.

REPORTER

Aileen B. Flores

The charges are tied to the arrest of Victor Grijalva on May 23 outside a 7-Eleven. The arrest was made by Varela and officer Israel Delgado allegedly without probable cause, a jail magistrate was told in court Thursday. Delgado was released from jail on bond Tuesday night.

Alvarez and Orta had their bonds reduced to $5,750 each, and Varela's bond was set at $14, 250 with the condition that the officers are not allowed near the Socorro police offices.

Just before 1 p.m. Thursday Alvarez, Orta and Varela appeared before El Paso County Jail Magistrate James Carter in handcuffs and shackles, dressed in red-striped jail suits. Orta was wearing a face mask because of health problems.

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More than 20 family members packed the entrance of the jail building waiting for the hearing. Some of them prayed.

Inside the courtroom, the magistrate reviewed the officers' charges, and defense attorneys requested reductions of the bonds.

Attorney Patrick Lara, who represented Orta, said the three officers were put into segregation because of threats from other inmates.

Lara told the magistrate the officers were segregated like most violent inmates. Lara also discussed his client's health problems. He said Orta suffers severe respiratory problems.

Lara said the bonds were "aggressively high" and compared the $250,000 bond given to Varela with the $15,000 bond given to Delgado, who is accused of the same offenses.

The magistrate agreed to reduce the bonds for the officers with the condition that Alvarez, Orta and Varela cannot access law enforcement materials, will not approach police buildings and will return their badges to Socorro police until their cases are resolved.

Alvarez and Orta's bonds were each split into $5,000 personal recognizance bonds and $750 surety bonds. Varela's bond was higher because he is facing two other charges. His bonds was set at $7,250 surety bond and $7,000 personal recognizance bond.

Alvarez, Orta and Varela were released from jail about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, county records show.

"We intend to fight the case, although we haven't seen much of the evidence yet," Lara said after the hearing. "We're going to evaluate the case once we get it, and we hope the officers are completely vindicated in this process."

He said the officers are doing whatever they can to keep their jobs.

Also Thursday, El Paso County sheriff's detectives and members of the Crime Scene Unit seized a box from the Socorro Administrative Building after a three-hour search.

Chris Acosta, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office, said investigators were there to execute a grand-jury subpoena.

Acosta could not confirm whether the search was related to the charges against the officers. On Tuesday, El Paso County sheriff's deputies helped the Texas Rangers in the arrests of the three Socorro officers.

About 6 p.m. Tuesday, Alvarez, Orta and Varela were arrested at the Socorro Police Department's substation. Delgado was arrested by Texas Rangers on Tuesday morning.

Also arrested was dispatcher Raul Huerta, who is accused of delivering more than 5 pounds of marijuana.